The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-11-19
BIG NUGGETS.
Exchange.

cent mining history of the colony oc- cured, when ati immense nugget, weighing about fifty-one pounds of pure gold, was unearthed in the now famous Midas mine at Sulky Gully. This mine is on the property of Sir William Clarke, known as Bowling Forest, and on several occasions lately nuggets varying in size, though small, have been obtained. This dis covery, however, eclipses anything of the kind that has been known for many years in Victoria. The news of it created considerable excitement in this city. The first public intimation was obtained in rather curious man. ner A man was observed by the large crowd of shareholders who con- gregate at the corner to be walking down Stuart street carrying sack containing what to appearance was a small pig, but his strange burden was soon found to be a nugget, and he was followed by an excited and question: ing crowd.
 The nugget is flat, and has some thing the contour of colossal hand held open, with the thumb and ting- CTS close together. It's greatest length is 121 inches and breadth 82 inches, and it varies in thickness up to p inches. It is apparently pure gold, and weighs 617 ounces. It was found in the north west main drive, in the direction of the No. ? shaft, 120 feet from tl1e surface, and spot fifty feet from where the Lady Brassey nugget was recently found. A cast will be taken of the nugget before it is broken up. It is estimated to contain fifty one pounds of pure gold, worth about 5l pounds per pound, and the find represents an addition to the com pany's revenue of about.2 600 pounds.
 The qualified affection which Aus tralia entertains for the Mongol lm- migration will not be intensified by the fact, which we announced re- gently, says the London Telegraph, i, that some Chinese gold diggers at Hargreaves, in the Mudgee, have un- ear;hcd nugget weighing 225 ounces. The Celestials, feeling that their good fortune might possibly entail uncom- fortable consequences, kept their lucky find concealed. But as the lump of metal was transmitted to the Syd- ney mint the news soon leaked out, with the result that the district where such good fortune is possible has been inundated with eager prospect ors. Two hundred and twenty five ounces of gold, worth say, according to it's fineness, from TOO to 800 pounds, is unquestionably comfortable days work, and in some far away village in Shan-se or Kwan-tung, is more than sufficient to secure 8 perpetual feast of rice and pork, ducks and Samshoo, for the fortunate finders family. It is, however, extremely unlikely that any such peaceful dream will be permit ted to take possession of the China mans mind.
 Two hundred and twenty five ounces are no doubt large haul in these days, when gold is usually washed out in scales, and specimen" as big as bean is regarded as a very pretty nugget indeed. Two shillings out of ton of ''dirt" is in California an average return. Hargreaves is however, spot where, in the disinte- grafton of the old quartz ledges-to which all the placer deposits in the gravels and sands of rivers and the like localities are due-heavy depos- it's of gold seemed to have formed. There, from the very earliest periods of Australian gold discoveries, large nuggets have been found, one of the largest being AGO. ounce one, washed out of bar on the Mudgee not very long ago. Beside this monster lump the Chinaman's 225 ounces sinks into very small proportions. And even this is by no means the greatest of it's costly kindred, for though it deserves a prominent place among the aristo- cracy of nuggets, several mnch heavier have been found in Australia. For instance, in 1851, an aboriginal Aus tralian found one which, though broken. must have originally been mass of 190 pounds.
 In 1858 party of four men un- earthed at Buarandong, in New South Wales, lump weighing over 1,l27 ounces, and valued at 1889 pounds s shillings 10 pence. Another of 300 ounces was found at Kiandra, and Chinaman st Jericho, in Victoria, was the lucky discoverer of one weighing 400 ounces. As for 5G, ,20G and eo50-ounce pieces, though these finds are so notable that every instance of such hauls being made are chronicled, they all sink into insignificance beside the .Welcome" nugget of Bakery-hill, Ballarat, which was dug up in June, 1858, and weighed so heavy that it was sold for S,S76 pounds, and the "Welcome Stranger of Aclicgul, in. Victoria. which in 1869 yieldcd 2.5O2a